CI(持续改善)需要遵循的6大准则

So you have implemented a process improvement methodology, like Six Sigma, and it was successful. While this is a reason to celebrate on its own, there’s still more work to be done. One question that pops into mind is: how do we make sure the positive results of the process improvement stick? As an organization, you don’t want to go through a Six Sigma event only to have the promising results gradually revert over time.

是的，我们已经推行了某个流程改善方法，比如，六西格玛，并且推行的很成功。虽然，这是值得让自己庆祝的理由，不过，我们还有更多的工作要去做。我突然想到这么一个问题：如何确保流程改善的积极成果，能够得以持续？作为组织，我们不想仅仅通过某一起六西格玛事件就能随着时间的逐渐推移而取得让人满意的结果。

With that in mind, one thing that becomes clear is that there’s a need for continuous improvement, or as the Japanese call it: “Kaizen.” This means improving anything, whether it is a process or product, on an ongoing basis. When your organization adopts a culture of continuous improvement, all improvements made will become cemented, meaning the organization will be optimized and primed to smoothly deliver value to customers uninterrupted.

有鉴于此，有一件事情很清楚，那就是：我们需要持续改善，或者日本人所说的“Kaizen”。这意味着要持续改善一切，无论是流程，还是产品。一旦组织采用持续改善的文化，所获得所有改善都会得以巩固，意味着：组织会得到优化，并准备顺利地为客户提供持续的价值。

So how does an organization ensure they build a culture of continuous improvement? Here are six principles to follow.

那么，组织应该如何确保建立一种持续改善的文化呢？以下是需要遵守的六大原则：

Focus on making small changes

专注于小的变化

Many organizations think continuous improvement is only about implementing big changes only. But large changes are disruptive and can often face resistance from employees. On the other hand, small improvements, when done incrementally, are less disruptive and more manageable. This means the whole organization doesn’t need to grind to a halt whenever improvements need to be made.

许多组织认为，持续改善只是为了实现重大的变化。但是重大的变化是带有颠覆性的，而且常常会遇到员工的抵制。另一方面，即便完成小的改善，其颠覆性也会更小，且更易于管理。这意味着，只要需要改善，整个组织就不需要陷入停顿。

Look in the 6Ms

关注6M变化

Six Sigma has the concept of 6Ms, which are believed to be behind process variation. In every process, there’s an expected amount of variation in output that is considered natural to it. However, there is some variation that is unnatural to the process known as special cause variation. This causes the variation in output to differ greatly to the point of producing non-conforming products.

六西格玛中有6M的概念（Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Mother Nature，即：人员、机器、物料、方法、衡量与环境），6M这被认为是流程出现变化的幕后因素。每个流程中，都有某个在生产流程上被认为是预期的变化点。当然，有一些变化点对流程来讲是不正常的，这些被称为：特殊原因导致的变化。这使得生产流程的变化与生产不合格产品大为相同。

By focusing on eliminating the 6Ms, which are man, machine, materials, mother nature, measurement and method, processes can be improved on an ongoing basis.

通过重点消除人员、机器、物料、方法、衡量与环境的变化（注，英文原文中是由错误的，结合上下文，应该指代的是6M的变化点，而非6M），我们可以对工艺进行持续改善。

Mistakes teach lessons

错误是教训

Nobody likes to make mistakes, especially if they are costly. However, mistakes can also serve as a valuable lesson on what works and what doesn’t. Employees carrying out the continuous improvement effort need to feel that mistakes are part of the process. They must be given enough room to experiment without being reckless and fearing blame. That way, they will feel comfortable in revealing what they did wrong in order to produce the undesirable results.

没有人喜欢犯错，特别是代价高昂的错误。事实上，错误也可以作为某个有价值的教训，可以告诉员工什么是有效的，而什么是无效的。开展持续改善的员工，要觉得错误也是流程的一部分。他们必须有足够的空间进行尝试，无需用所顾忌，也无需害怕受到指责。如此，他们能在揭示自己做错了导致不良的结果上会感到好一些。

Ideas from employees have value

员工的想法是有价值的

Management should take a top-down approach to continuous improvement. Feedback from employees from the lowest levels should be treated like gold since the further down the chain we go, the more that person is in direct contact with the process being improved. And the more direct their knowledge of the process is, the more they are likely to know how to make effective improvements. It is up to management to listen to what their employees are saying in order to make informed decisions.

管理层应该采取“自上而下”的方法来持续改善。最底层的员工的反馈，应该被视为财富。因为，我们走的越远，员工与流程之间的直接联系就越紧密。他们对该流程了解越清楚，就越可能知道如何高效地进行改善。为了做出明智的决策，管理层应该去聆听员工的看法。

Continuous Improvement is everyone’s job

持续改善是每个人的工作

When the question about who is responsible for continuous improvement is asked, the answer should be that everyone is involved. It doesn’t matter if that person is a janitor, operator, leader or manager. It must be clearly communicated that every employee on every level should take ownership and be involved in all ongoing improvement efforts.

如果有问：“谁负责持续改善”，答案应该是：每个人都参与到持续改善中。不管是门卫，还是操作员工，也不管是领导者，还是经理，都应该清楚这一点。我们必须清楚地传达这么一个信号：所有级别的所有员工，都应该负责，并参与所有正在进行的持续改善中。

Measure effectiveness constantly

持续衡量有效性

Without coming up with a yardstick for measuring success, it would be hard to know if the improvement efforts are working. Process improvement efforts always have an end goal in mind, and results must constantly be measured to ensure the organization is moving towards that goal. Also, by coming up with a way to measure the success, what works can be made apparent for repeatability and what doesn’t work can be eliminated.

如果想不出衡量成功的标准，那么，我们会很难知道改善工作是否有效。要记住，流程改善始终要有个最终的目标，并且必须不断衡量结果，以确保组织是朝着该目标前行的。此外，通过提出某种衡量成功的方法，对于可重复性来说，哪些起作用及哪些不起作用应该被消除，都会是显而易见的事情。